Effect of Parameters on Fiber Diameters and the Morphology of Hybrid Electrospun Cellulose Acetate/Chitosan/Poly(Ethylene Oxide) Nanofibers

Electrospun NanoFibers (ENFs) were fabricated from the mixture of Cellulose Acetate (CA), chitosan (CHI), and poly (ethylene oxide) using an acetic acid solution. The impact of CA/CHI ratio (0.5, 1, 1.5 wt %), CHI/PEO ratio (1, 1.5, 2 wt%), Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) (0, 1.5, 3% w/w) and ammonium oxalate (3%, w/w) on the diameter, tensile strength, elongation, and porosity of the ENFs were optimized using Response Surface Methodology-Central Composite Rotatable Design (RSM-CCRD). The results revealed that ENFs were formed of non-woven fibers with a maximum diameter of 113 nm. Second-order polynomial models with high R2 values (0.996–0.99) were developed using Cubic analysis. The optimum condition was identified to be at the compounded level of CA/CHI 1.5 wt%, CHI/PEO 1 wt%, and SDS 3% (w/v). At the best point, the diameter, surface tension, elongation, and porosity of the fabricated ENFs were 96.07 nm, 0.054 N/mm2, 13.09 mm, and 52.29 respectively.